Wings GM Ken Holland said yesterday that he spoke to the agent for defenseman Danny Markov a week ago but nothing is happening.
“He told me what he’s looking for; we’re not even close to that,’’ Holland said. “Right now, we’re satisfied with our defense. We’d like to have Danny back, but if he signs somewhere else, we’re comfortable.’‘
He said he’d like to add some depth on defense, but only at the right price. He offered Markov a two-year deal at the draft in June, apparently at around the same $2.5 million-a-year salary he earned last season.
“He told me the salary range he’s looking for. We don’t have any interest in that salary range,’’ Holland said.

TSN is moving closer to reaching a contract extension with the NHL. A new agreement for national cable rights is expected to be completed in a few weeks. “They’re focusing on it getting done before the start of the season,” a source said.

Highlights to look for:
* More games involving Canadian teams, including more Toronto Maple Leafs games;
* The opportunity for a Canadian match-up in the playoffs;
* Broadband streaming rights to games televised on TSN.

One thing is clear: Burke is making Lowe sweat. He’s taking the full week to decide.
But both these guys are going through a case of Tums and another of Mennen Speed Stick. Most likely, Lowe is the cooler customer right now. He’s in the proverbial catbird seat, and his biggest concern is how Penner’s five-year, $21.25 million offer will affect his team’s future salary situation….
I say no, Burke won’t match. I say yes, Lowe will get his man and have to live with the consequences.
Key to Burke’s decision, in addition to sticking to his guns on the Ducks’ salary structure, is a need for draft picks. Getting the Oilers’ first-, second- and third-round picks next June will be a benefit for the team’s development. And you can bet Burke will be hoping Lowe’s Oilers fall flat on their faces to increase the value of those picks.

A source close to the negotiations told ESPN.com that Leipold wants to remain in the NHL and that plans are in the works for him to step into an ownership role with the Minnesota Wild after cutting ties with the Preds and when current Wild owner Robert O. Naegele Jr. decides to step away from the business.
Both Leipold and Naegele declined to speak to ESPN.com about their future plans and Leipold did not respond to a specific e-mail query about his plans with the Wild.
Fair enough. But if such a plan is in the works, it would go a long way in explaining Leipold’s reticence to do anything to tick off Bettman, who continues to rule the board of governors with an iron fist, threatening millions of dollars in fines if team officials speak on the record about the ownership debacle unfolding in Nashville.

Canadian Business Online put the NHL to the test to find the players who offer the best mix of high performance and low cost. These are the best value players. They’re not necessarily the hockey elite, but they get the job done at the best price. It’s the dream team for bean counters — and cash-strapped owners.
And for those who want a peek at the worst of the worst, we’ve also assembled what would be a dream team only in Seinfeld’s “bizarro world” — players who cost a lot but don’t do much on the ice.

check out this very interactive site and thanks to a KK reader for the heads-up.

You now have seven choices in the “Fire On Ice Caused The Mass Firing Of The Entire Wing PR Staff, Now’s Your Chance To Replace It” contest. Saginaw John brings us another, and it should definitely be popular with the die hards.

The sale price for the franchise is $193 million. The sale must be approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors. The anticipated closing date for the transaction is no later than September 30, 2007.
“I am thrilled that David Freeman and his local group have joined up with Boots Del Biaggio and come together to purchase the Predators,” Leipold said. “My hope is that their commitment to Nashville will be reciprocated in the form of business and individual support on an ongoing basis to make this franchise successful for the long-term. This is a great day for Predators fans, players and staff!”

In the wake of Wednesday’s announcement that a group of Nashville businessmen had signed a binding letter of intent to purchase the Predators, we can’t help but feel that unless these owners find a similarly empowered budgie or parakeet to plant a similar smacker of life on the team, they will be nothing more than caretakers of a team doomed to exist on life support until the moving trucks back up to the arena doors.
Despite all the back-slapping and toasts toward a long future in Nashville that accompanied the announcement, the future of the team is far from secure.

Back on top. The last time Detroit held the title of The Sporting News’ Best Sports City was 1998. 9 years later and legitimate claims to the top teams in three of four major sports, a fan base that sticks by the NFL’s worst team and franchise; all of that was enough to land Detroit back at the head of the class.

Yes, it’s still Hockeytown, same as it was when Detroit was our Best Sports City in 1998. Yet on an unseasonably warm Saturday in April, with the Wings facing the Flames in the playoffs at The Joe, you were as likely to see an old English “D” on a cap in downtown Detroit (the Tigers were playing the White Sox) as you were a winged wheel on a red sweater.

A Nashville group planning to sign a letter of intent to buy the Nashville Predators today is expected to include William “Boots” Del Biaggio, who also has a contract to own an NHL team for Kansas City’s Sprint Center.
Del Biaggio could not be reached for comment today, but was in Nashville for the announcement.
The Predators have a long-term lease with the Sommet Center in Nashville, but they must average 14,000 fans per game this season or the lease could be voided.
By being part of the Nashville ownership, Del Biaggio—who has been a minority partner in the San Jose Sharks—would boost his profile and status in the NHL and give him leverage to move the club to Kansas City.

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